Penn State football is officially back, folks.

We’re one day away from the Nittany Lions taking the field in Beaver Stadium against Nevada. The two teams will make history as Penn State has never played the Wolf Pack in its long history.

Nevada was picked to finish last in the Mountain West in the preseason poll done by media and coaches; however, the Wolf Pack is mostly unknown with 54 new players this season. Despite this, our staff isn’t too worried that the contest will be close and predicts an extremely one-sided affair.

Fernando Martinez Ruiz De Esparza (0-0): Penn State 49, Nevada 3

Penn State football is finally back, folks.

Penn State will head into the season with huge expectations as it is one of the favorites to win the national championship. I expect it to start off the season on the right note against a Nevada team that went 3-10 last season. Despite losing key players like Abdul Carter and Tyler Warren, the Nittany Lions brought a lot of their starters back like Drew Allar and having a lot of experienced players that went to the national semifinals last season will help in accomplishing their goal of winning a national championship. They brought in Jim Knowles to be their defensive coordinator, and Andy Kotelnicki is back as the offensive coordinator, so this team has all the pieces needed to have a successful season.

For those reasons, Nevada has no shot of winning this game. It went 3-10 last season, and they lost 65% of its production from last season. It had to replace its quarterback, three offensive line starters, top three running backs, and top two wide receivers. Going to West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium with so many question marks is a recipe for disaster. The Wolf Pack is entering one of the most hostile environments in college football and they are going to heavily struggle against an elite Penn State team.
The Nittany Lions will easily win this game. The bigger question is whether they cover the spread and I think they do that.

Michael Zeno (0-0): Penn State 48, Nevada 10

My semi-bold prediction for this game is that Nevada has a lead. Occasionally you see highly ranked teams play with their food early and fall behind 7-3 or 3-0. We’ve seen the offense start slow at times and there’s always the chance of one missed coverage on defense.

It won’t be a Bowling Green-type scare, though. Penn State will turn it up late in the first quarter and overwhelm the Wolf Pack, turning it into a blowout by halftime. The starters will exit early in the third quarter, and both backup quarterbacks will get reps in a jovial return to Beaver Stadium for 2025.

Collin Ward (0-0): Penn State 52, Nevada 7

This should come as no surprise, but I do not think this game will be close. Most likely, James Franklin will have the boys rolling to get the season started with all the hype around them. I mean, who wouldn’t be excited to prove they are the best? Nevada is a struggling team that is relying heavily on transfers in 2025 after only winning three games in 2024. The only reason I do not have us scoring more is because I think we will be able to run all over them and waste time throughout the game. Expect to see some of the backups get a lot of playing time as the staff tries to develop them for next season.

CJ Gill (0-0): PSU 52, Nevada 6

There shouldn’t be any Penn State fans sweating the outcome of the game on Saturday against the Wolf Pack. The Nittany Lions are huge favorites to open their highly anticipated season with a victory. Andy Kotelnicki will have the offense humming from the first drive and Jim Knowles will show off his stout defense through four quarters on CBS. Expect many different players to reach the field on Saturday for Franklin’s squad. And I would still expect the backups to contribute against the inferior Mountain West foe.

Sophie Yadzinski (0-0): Penn State 53, Nevada 7

We’re back in Beaver, baby! Nevada is traveling a long way for a loss. I imagine our offense will come out with a bang with Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen dominating the field with their running game per usual, but I’m also looking to Luke Reynolds to show his talents by adding some points to the board. I anticipate Penn State might let one touchdown slip, but I hope they prove me wrong. Let’s go 1-0, folks.

Oscar Orellana (0-0): Penn State 42, Nevada 6

It’ll be a blowout by the end of the third quarter. Penn State’s offense will sputter a bit during the opening drives as they work the kinks out and go to game speed as a unit for the first time together, but the Nittany Lions should easily tame the Wolf Pack in a blowout win to open the season.

Jamie Lynch (0-0): Penn State 52, Nevada 14

The Nittany Lions have a favorable draw to open their season. While a lot of Nevada’s identity is unknown, there is zero reason why James Franklin and company shouldn’t be able to handle business. 

That being said, no one expected Bowling Green to give Penn State much trouble last season, but alas. Nevada does not have one of the best tight ends in the country that the Falcons boasted in Harold Fannin Jr.

During these first three games, expect the Penn State offense to experiment against inferior opponents. It wouldn’t be unlike the Nittany Lions to give up a score first in this game, and then quietly run up the score as the game progresses. 

Give me the blue and white to start the season 1-0.

Cadyn Gill (0-0): Penn State 45, Nevada 13

I don’t know if a large cat could take down a wolf in real life, but this is college football, not the wilderness. Nevada, unfortunately, is being thrown into a buzz saw to open its 2025 season. The ground game will flourish against the Wolfpack with three total TDs between Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. A lot to a little in favor of the Nittany Lions.

Michael Siroty (0-0): Penn State 31, Nevada 7

Nevada is by no means a strong competition for Penn State, but there’s always a process of getting adjusted in week one, so I don’t think this game will be too big of a blowout. I think the Nittany Lions will test a bunch of different schemes to see what works, but it’ll be a no-sweat victory.

Cooper Cazares (0-0): Penn State 52, Nevada 7

Penn State will win this game by a landslide; there’s no debating that. I think the third- and fourth-string guys find reps in the second half. Although the starters may be out, Franklin is gonna cover the spread. If I were a betting man (I’m not), I’d take that -43.5 straight to the bank.